


tripping on skies, sipping waterfalls

by ohprongs



Series: malec high school sweethearts au [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Closeted Character, Human AU, M/M, Slow Dancing, fluff with a sprinkling of angst, prom shenanigans, y'all these boys gonna kill me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 01:58:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11979696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohprongs/pseuds/ohprongs
Summary: “We were planning prom stuff at Cat’s,” Magnus begins, staring at Alec’s hands. “And I was sitting there, and we were going through all this stuff, like her dress and my suit and our votes for prom king and queen and —”Magnus gives a little shake of his head, and sort of shrugs, and says, “— all I could think about was you. I know it’s not your senior year, and, even if it was we wouldn’t be going together — which is fine, obviously. But I’ve been watching everyone else ask people to be their prom dates and the only person I want to go to prom with is you, Alexander.”(or, the one where magnus knows he can’t go to prom with alec, so he brings prom to him.)





	tripping on skies, sipping waterfalls

**Author's Note:**

> written for [#shaumondays](http://shadowhuntersaumondays.tumblr.com)’ first S2-S3 hiatus prompt: summer. posted just before the theme ends, as usual :~)
> 
> thank u [elle](http://magnusragnor.tumblr.com) for beta'ing!
> 
> title from _youth_ by troye sivan

It’s a little after eight pm when the glare of headlights shines into the Lightwoods’ living room. Alec and Maryse both look up, Alec from his calculus homework and Maryse from the case notes she’s running through with a highlighter.

They share a glance and Alec shrugs at the question in his mother’s gaze. There’s been no footsteps thumping down the stairs to indicate Izzy or Jace is going to greet one of their friends, and six year old Max has been in bed for about an hour. Their father is taking a late conference call in the study, so it’s either a stranger or someone calling for Alec.

The doorbell rings and Maryse nods to Alec.

Alec leaves his textbook on the coffee table and sets his notebook alongside it, then stands, brushing his pants down as he makes his way to the front door.

When he opens it, Magnus is there, fiddling with his hair and just turning away slightly, but he looks back at Alec as soon as the door opens. In the light of the porch his eyes shine warmly.

“Hey,” Alec says.

“Hey,” Magnus replies. “I’m on my way back from Catarina’s and just wanted to call by.”

“Alec?” his mother’s voice calls. “Who is it?”

Alec leans back into the house. “It’s Magnus,” he replies, then, quieter, to Magnus, “d’you wanna come in?”

Magnus swallows, rubbing the fingers of his left hand together. “No, I don’t want to bother you,” he says.

“You’re not bothering me,” Alec whispers, taking a step closer to Magnus with a smile and closing the door behind him. “Sorry, mom’s in the living room.”

“I guessed,” Magnus teases, but he doesn’t seem like he’s complaining at Alec being closer, from the way his eyes light up. His fingers trail gently against Alec’s wrist before he drops them, taking a step back. “We can talk in the car, if you want.”

Alec follows Magnus to the car and hops in. Magnus sits at a slight angle, his knees turned towards Alec, left arm draped over the steering wheel. He taps out a light tune on his thigh with his other hand.

If Alec didn’t know better, he’d say Magnus was nervous.

“What’s up?” Alec asks gently.

“We were planning prom stuff at Cat’s,” Magnus begins, staring at Alec’s hands. Alec tries to stop his stomach twisting painfully. Magnus and Catarina are going to prom together, with nothing between them but a bone-deep friendship, and Alec has no right to be jealous or hurt. But he is, and he’s mostly immensely angry at himself. All of it weighs down on his chest when he tries to get to sleep at night.

It’s so dumb, because it’s not even his prom — he’s still in junior year — and it’s Magnus’ night for him and his friends. Even if Alec was there, it’s not like they’d actually be going together. And that — that’s the rub.

Sometimes he feels sick with the need to tell people. The urge for total, complete honesty rises up in his throat, the words _I’m gay_ trying to stumble out of his mouth to freedom. He’ll lie awake at night, flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling and blinking at it in the dark, thinking.

The yearning to tell people, to be able to be himself, makes him physically ache. But just as soon as the words form on his tongue, clawing fear sews his mouth shut before he can get them out.

His classmates.

His family.

And oh, God —

— his _parents_.

What will people say? What will people think? Will they treat him like someone different, someone they never really knew, even though he’s the same person he always was and this is who he is?

Alec swallows down the bitter unfairness of it all and blinks away the hot tears that have formed in the corners of his eyes, trying to focus on what Magnus is saying.

“And I was sitting there, and we were going through all this stuff, like her dress and my suit and our votes for prom king and queen and —” Magnus pauses, for emphasis, not breaking off out of uncertainty, like Alec does when he gets tongue-tied around Magnus because he’s just so —

So _brilliant_ —

Magnus gives a little shake of his head, and sort of shrugs, and says, “— all I could think about was you.”

Alec’s heart stutters and he meets Magnus’ eyes.

“I know it’s not your senior year,” Magnus continues, “and, even if it was we wouldn’t be going together — which is fine, obviously. But I’ve been watching everyone else ask people to be their prom dates and the only person I want to go to prom with is you, Alexander.”

Alec can’t help it; his stomach floods with happiness and he grins widely. He knows they can’t do anything about it, but hearing Magnus say these kinds of things — it makes him feel like maybe they might have a chance, out in the real world, away from high school and the pressure of parents and classes and everything else.

“Magnus, I —”

Magnus holds up a hand. “I want to ask you something.”

Alec looks at Magnus, holding his gaze levelly. His heart is thumping loudly in his ears but he trusts Magnus so implicitly it’s impossible to imagine Magnus ever doing anything to hurt him, so he says, “Go on.”

Magnus takes a breath, fingers tapping on his thigh more quickly than before. “If I bring prom to you,” Magnus says slowly, “will you be my date?”

Alec blinks confusedly at Magnus, a slight furrow settling in his brow. “What?” he asks. Magnus is still looking at him earnestly, but Alec has no idea what Magnus is talking about. Then it hits him and his happiness deflates and his stomach twinges painfully. He closes his eyes. “Magnus, you can’t give up your only senior prom for me. You deserve to have your perfect prom night.”

“I will,” Magnus insists, but gently, holding up a hand to stop Alec, “though without you, I wouldn’t call it _perfect_.” He shakes his head. “Look, what I’m saying is, I’m gonna go to prom with my friends and everything, but then we can have another prom, for the two of us, somewhere that means something to us.”

Alec’s lips part as he sucks in a breath, eyes roving Magnus’ face in a search for some kind of uncertainty or joke. He finds none.

“What, like your bedroom?” he asks, and he means it to be teasing but he’s still a little breathless so it just sounds dazed. Magnus laughs anyway, the sound warming Alec all over.

“If you want,” Magnus replies, still laughing. “I haven’t really thought about it yet. So, what d’you think?”

There’s not even a question in Alec’s mind about the answer.

“Yes,” he says, and as soon as the word is out he’s smiling, so hard his cheeks hurt. “Yeah. Yes.” He laughs and Magnus does too, looking at Alec lovingly.

“That’s a yes, then?” Magnus asks a moment later, still smiling, eyes soft despite his teasing tone.

Alec nods, and his hands reach out, searching for Magnus’. He wraps their fingers together and hopes that he can convey everything Magnus means to him with just this one gesture. He so badly wants to lean over and kiss Magnus, but he’s not sure who might be looking, and the light summer nights don’t provide any cover.

“Wait,” Alec says, cocking his head, “do I have to wear a suit?”

For a moment, Magnus looks more offended than Alec’s ever seen, and then he’s rolling his eyes. “Of course you have to wear a suit,” he says, failing to sound annoyed. “I’ll be very sad if you don’t.”

And then Alec rolls his eyes, because they both know when Magnus plays the sad card, puppy dog eyes and all, Alec has no hope in hell of resisting doing what Magnus wants.

Magnus smiles at him, triumphant. He turns Alec’s hand palm up on his thigh and begins tracing light patterns over his skin.

“We can sort out the details another time,” he says, almost distractedly. “I just wanted to ask you now while I had the idea and —” this time, he does break off, his fingers tripping. He lays his hand flat on Alec’s, palm to palm. “Well, before I lost my nerve.”

Alec squeezes Magnus’ hand. “You have nothing to be worried about,” he says. “I’ll always want to say yes to you.”

Magnus stares at Alec like he’s the whole world and Alec wonders how he ever got so lucky to be able to be here with Magnus. After a few moments, Magnus shakes himself and gently peels Alec’s hand from his own.

“I’ll see you Friday after school?” he asks.

Alec nods. It’s something they’ve been doing for as long as he can remember, and he tries not to think about the fact that the number of Fridays they have left together is slowly ticking down. When they break up for summer vacation, Magnus won’t be returning in the fall — he’ll be at college in California.

Reluctantly, Alec gets out of the car. He’s dreading going back inside, mostly because he doesn’t want to leave Magnus but also because he’s been a while and his mom will definitely pry into what they were talking about, and he can’t very well up and say, _mom, I'm gay and Magnus is kind of my secret boyfriend and, by the way, the roses out front need watering._

He’s a step away from the car when Magnus twists in his seat to grab something from the backseat. When he’s got it, he rights himself and winds down the window.

“Here,” Magnus says, handing Alec a notebook.

“What’s this?” Alec asks, confused, staring down at Magnus’ AP Calculus notes.

“An excuse,” Magnus says, with a gentle nod back to the Lightwoods’ house, “so you can tell your mom what we were talking about.”

The breath gets knocked out of Alec and he stands there, blinking stupidly at Magnus because he doesn’t know what to say. Magnus is so careful and considerate because that’s just who he is, but also because he knows, _understands_.

They’ve talked about it a little, Alec coming out, and Magnus has never pushed or pressured. He just says that he’ll support Alec and stand by him, whatever choice he makes. Even though Magnus is mostly out himself, he still has those moments of doubt, and Alec hopes he can reassure and support Magnus right back.

The two of them against the world, hand in hand, even when they can’t be touching.

Alec swallows down the emotion thick in his throat, still wondering what to say. _Thank you_ doesn’t quite cut it and _you’re the best person I know and I wish I could be half as good as you because you spread light wherever you go_ might be a little over the top for half past eight on a Wednesday evening.

“I don’t deserve you,” Alec says after a minute, and Magnus just gives him a look.

“Of course you do,” Magnus says, as if it’s not even a question. Then he shrugs. “We’re good for each other.”

Alec can’t do anything but smile at him. He’s not good with his words in the same way Magnus is — whenever he expresses his feelings it’s always blunt and never deliberately pretty or planned, but Magnus seems to like that about him. Right now, Alec doesn’t reckon he’s capable of speaking without getting choked up or saying _fuck everything_ and kissing Magnus in the driveway, which. Yeah. That probably wouldn’t end well.

“See you Friday,” he manages after a moment, when he’s composed himself. Magnus sends him a smile and a little salute, then pulls out of the driveway in his mom’s car with ease.

∞

Magnus’ backyard is awash with colour: blood red dahlias and magenta sweet peas fill the beds around the perimeter against the fence, interspersed with lemon yellow snapdragons and butterscotch marigolds. The grass is almost too green and, as Alec walks towards the treehouse lodged in the gnarled oak in the back corner of the yard under a cloudless summer sky, he feels like he’s in a picture perfect movie.

He reaches the foot of the tree. Fiddling with the sleeve of his suit jacket, Alec takes a breath.

“Hey, Magnus,” Alec calls, up to the treehouse.

For a moment nothing happens, and then Magnus appears, swinging around the doorframe he’s holding onto and out over the ledge by the ladder. Alec’s heart lurches in his chest at how close Magnus is to the edge, and then it does a weird stuttery thing when he actually _sees_ Magnus.

The thing is, Alec and Magnus had been friends for a while before Alec started crushing on him. And it’s not like Alec hadn’t known Magnus was attractive when they’d first met, but he’d also just hit puberty and didn’t really know how to handle anything that was going on with his body.

Then one day they’d been in the canteen at lunch, Jace going on about something that Alec was only half paying attention to because he was mostly watching Magnus. Magnus, sitting with his friends and laughing loudly, eyes shining with happiness and his head tipped back, exposing the line of his throat.

Alec’s heart had stopped and his tummy suddenly went all fluttery and he felt nervous for a reason he couldn’t quite pinpoint. After that, he couldn’t stop sneaking glances at Magnus, and sometimes he really would have appreciated it if Magnus could have at least _tried_ to be a little less good looking.

Today, Magnus is wearing a suit that Alec thinks might be called plum, or maybe burgundy. It looks velvety soft to the touch and his fingers itch to reach out and hold Magnus close. Magnus’ hair is artfully messy and when he holds out his hand to beckon Alec up into the treehouse, Alec catches a glimpse of dark paint on Magnus’ fingernails.

It turns him on more than is possibly appropriate. He climbs the ladder to the treehouse on shaky legs, trying to calm himself down by thinking really hard about the time Izzy dissected a frog and excitedly brought it into Alec’s room to show him, entrails and all, or his father’s voice when he’s scanning Alec’s report card and telling him it’s not good enough.

“Alexander,” Magnus says happily, a dimpled grin on his face, as Alec hauls himself over the ledge and up into the treehouse.

“Hey,” Alec says, a little breathless. Up close, he realises Magnus’ eyes are lined with a dark kohl. It’s something that Magnus has been doing a little more recently, just when he feels comfortable doing it. Something warm fizzes all the way down to Alec’s toes when he thinks about the fact that he’s someone Magnus trusts enough to be himself around.

“You’re here,” Magnus says, still smiling at him.

“Your mom let me in,” Alec explains. “You look — wow.”

Magnus laughs softly, and he ducks his head but his eyes are shining when he looks back to Alec. “So do you,” he says, giving Alec an appreciative once over before reaching out to adjust the collar of Alec’s shirt. “Thank God past me asked you to wear a suit.”

Alec rolls his eyes but he can’t help laughing a little, every nerve in his body lighting up with joy. It might not be a real prom, but it’s him and Magnus together, sharing something special, and that means everything to him.

He’d found an invitation in a little envelope, tucked inside his locker about a week before their school semester ended. It just had his name in handwriting he’d recognise anywhere as Magnus’, and an instruction on the back where the paper was glued down: _open on your own._

Alec kept the invite hidden inside a crappy old DVD case in his room, and just knowing it was there had made him bury his smile in his pillow before falling asleep on more than one night.

“So,” he says, “how does this prom thing work?”

Magnus takes a step closer to him so they’re pressed chest to chest and Alec takes him in his arms. “First,” he says, curling a hand around Alec’s jaw, “you have to kiss me. Then we eat snacks and dance to cheesy music and just…” Magnus shrugs. “…do whatever we want.”

Alec raises an eyebrow. “That basically sounds like what we normally do when we hang out,” he points out, though he’s not complaining.

Magnus hums. “Well, I guess this isn’t about following any rules, then,” he says. His thumb strokes idly over Alec’s skin. “This is about you and me.”

“That sounds perfect,” Alec says lowly. He leans forward and presses his lips against Magnus’. They trade simple kisses for a while, before Alec pulls away. Magnus chases him and Alec can’t help grinning.

“Tease,” Magnus comments, but he doesn’t sound too put out. He peels himself away from Alec. Turning, he spots a camera on one of the rickety wooden tables in the tree house, and points at it with a snap of his fingers. “Oh! And we have to take pictures,” he adds.

Alec takes in Magnus’ smile and, when he thinks about the fact that taking photos means he’ll have something concrete, something real to document that this night happened, he decides that he’s really rather okay with that idea.

As Magnus busies himself with sorting out the music, Alec slips out of his suit jacket and hangs it over the back of one of the plastic chairs that have lived in Magnus’ treehouse for as long as Alec has known him.

“I think we have about two hours before my CD player runs out of battery,” Magnus says, a little distracted as he flicks through the CDs in front of him with one hand. “Do you want —” he glances up at Alec, about to carry on talking when he does a little double take and pauses. “What?”

Alec shakes his head, a smile on his lips. “What what?”

Magnus rolls his eyes and returns to the CDs. “You were looking at me,” he says, as if this explains everything.

“‘Course I was,” Alec says, voice a little hoarse as he regards Magnus, adoring gaze roaming over his boyfriend. “You’re beautiful.”

The CDs clack shut as Magnus stops moving them and straightens up, then spins and crowds Alec back against the wall of the treehouse. He’s so close Alec can feel Magnus’ breath on his face and see the exact shade of brown his eyes are.

“It’s true,” Alec whispers, because Magnus is still not doing anything, just watching him and pressing close against him.

Magnus swallows and Alec watches the bob of his Adam’s apple. He draws his eyes back up to meet Magnus’.

“Alec, I —” Magnus cuts himself off and closes his eyes. He lets out a slow exhale and opens his eyes. “I really, really like you.”

Alec’s breath catches. “I really, really like you, too,” he says, and it feels like the only truth he’s ever spoken, and then Magnus is kissing him, tender and sweet and genuine.

∞

Alec never imagined he might get this. It feels a little silly, and he’s a little self-conscious, but it’s impossible to feel embarrassed around Magnus, because he knows Magnus would never judge him.

He’s slow-dancing with his boyfriend and he’s so happy he could burst. They’re swaying gently to a cheesy late 90s romance song Alec could probably name if he put his mind to it, but he’s not really thinking about anything other than the way Magnus feels in his arms.

It’s ridiculous how safe he feels. Magnus’ arms are warm against his waist, his hands resting on the small of Alec’s back. Alec rests their foreheads together and closes his eyes, just breathing in being close to Magnus.

The song melts away after a while, something more upbeat taking its place. Magnus starts dancing to it, body moving easily to the beat, and Alec goes along with it for a while before he’s laughing too hard at his own lack of dance ability to keep going.

Magnus tries to get Alec to keep dancing but it’s no use; Alec collapses onto one of the chairs, laughing and wiping at his eyes.

“God, can you imagine if I’d been at your prom?” he asks, breathless. “It would have been so embarrassing.”

Magnus chuckles, stroking Alec’s cheek. “Good thing I’m not with you for your dance skills,” he says, grinning.

“Hey!” Alec protests, though he’s still giggling a little. “You’re not s’posed to agree.”

Magnus arches an eyebrow as he turns the music down a little. “You want me to lie to you?”

Alec tips his head back against the chair, closing his eyes and humming. His head jerks up a moment later and his eyes snap open when he hears the telltale click of a camera shutter. Magnus lowers the camera from his face with a sheepish grin.

“You looked really happy,” he says, in explanation. “I can delete it if you want.”

Alec gets up from the chair and shakes his head. “Take one of both us.”

They spend the next while taking pictures — first Magnus makes them do some in a formal prom pose, but they both end up taking the piss and laughing. At one point, Magnus attempts to fix Alec’s hair, but he swats Alec away when Alec tries to touch _his_ hair. They take picture after picture; hugging, smiling, pulling silly faces.

Alec wants to remember this night forever.

They don’t talk about the rest of the summer or the fact that Magnus will be leaving. They don’t think about the fact that this is a perfect night, but that’s all it is — one night in a bubble outside reality, and as soon as they go to sleep the bubble will burst.

Later, when the darkness has drawn in, Magnus and Alec lie back on the cushions on the wooden floor, hands entwined as they stare up at the night sky. Magnus points out constellations, and Alec pretends that he can’t see them just so Magnus will lean close to him and draw the shapes in the sky above them.

Alec catches Magnus’ hand mid-air and cradles it to his chest. Magnus brushes Alec’s hair off his forehead and presses a kiss to his temple, then settles his head on Alec’s shoulder.

Eventually, even though there’s a chill to the summer night air and the floor of the treehouse is literally the most uncomfortable thing Alec’s ever lain on, they drift off to sleep, leaving behind them a night that was better than either of them could have dreamed.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on tumblr @[lightwoodlesbians](http://lightwoodlesbians.tumblr.com)!!


End file.
